Numerous pharmaceutical or chemical active substances are preferably used in the form of solutions or mixtures with other ingredients or excipients. However, in practice, many of these active substances are less stable in solution than in their solid state, or even incompatible with certain of the other ingredients or additives of the solution in question. This is due, in particular, to the fact that when these mixtures are heated, for example during a sterilization process, or kept for long periods, they give rise to chemical reactions which render their constituents completely inactive or at least substantially decrease their activity.
In the case of a number of clinical infusion solutions, it has proved advantageous to use combinations of glucose and amino acids of various types. The drawback, which is at present difficult to overcome, of these combinations lies in the incompatibility of the products when they are heated, and in particular in the case of sterilization. The aldehyde group of the glucose in effect reacts with the free amino groups of the amino acids such as lysine (Maillard reaction) leading to the formation of Schiff bases which are the cause, inter alia, of the dark colouring of these solutions. This type of reaction does not only lead to modification of the physical aspect of these solutions, but also has a detrimental effect on biological compatibility, thus making the solutions completely unsuitable for infusion.
One of the solutions proposed as a remedy for these drawbacks consists in replacing, in sterilizable mixtures for infusion, glucose by sorbitol, as this latter product does not have an aldehyde group. However, sorbitol has several drawbacks which limit its use from the legal point of view.
If use is made, on the other hand, of packings having multiple compartments in accordance with the invention, it is possible to sterilize and keep the glucose and amino acid solutions separately. The internal portion of the joint common to both compartments in question is broken, just before use, under the action of an external pressure, for example a finger pressure, and the two solutions may then be immediately contacted and mixed.
A device which has recently been developed for the perfuming of rooms comprises a sachet of specially adapted polymer material containing a perfuming solution (see, in this respect, the International Appl. WO 81/00051). The perfume vapours diffuse slowly through the wall of polymer material and may thus perfume the room for a long period. A problem arises, however, during the storage of these devices before sale. As a result of the diffusion of the perfume vapours through the walls of polymer material of the packing, a considerable reduction in the initial amount of active substances may be observed.